When David Cone said Tino Martinez was the best teammate he ever had, here is what Cone was talking about.

About three hours after the World Trade Center towers were leveled by hijacked planes, Martinez thought about Nick Johnson, the 22-year-old first baseman who had been in New York for less than a month and who many believe will push Martinez out of pinstripes via free agency this winter.

Hanging around mid-town Manhattan with a friend during the lunch hour, Martinez found out where Johnson was staying and went to the Lexington Ave. hotel.

Martinez knew that Johnson wasn’t near the WTC, but he wanted to make sure a young player from Sacramento was okay in a city gone mad. Even though Martinez didn’t connect with Johnson, the visit was appreciated.